Kornacki: German Countrymen Wagner, Nowitzki Share Special Moment
2/20/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By Steve Kornacki
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- There's a reason why Michigan forward Moritz Wagner casts such high-arcing shots from the perimeter and it isn't because anyone has much chance of blocking the 6-foot-11 sophomore's shots from out there.
It has to do with his idol and German countryman, Dirk Nowitzki, the NBA superstar who also has a rainbow trajectory on his three-pointers despite being one inch taller than Wagner.
"It's the way I got taught to shoot and the habits I have in practice," said Wagner. "My shooting idol obviously is Dirk, and Dirk has always had a very high arc. He's awesome to watch, and how good you can be without athleticism is unbelievable. No offense to Dirk Nowitzki, but it's unbelievable.
"He always shoots above the backboard by far and it's tremendous."
I spoke with Nowitzki on Wednesday (Feb. 15) after he participated in a morning shoot-around with his Dallas Mavericks prior to their game that night with the Detroit Pistons. He finished the practice by beating eight teammates in a game of around-the-world, shooting from different spots behind the arc until every other contestant missed.
The last Mav standing was a smiling Nowitzki, who loves the game and its routines even at 38, after 19 years in the league, after scoring 29,907 points -- the seventh most in NBA history.
He was pulling on a dry T-shirt at courtside when we began talking about Wagner, and Nowitzki beamed when told that Wagner copied his shooting style.
"I love that," said Nowitzki.
Wolverines coach John Beilein said after Wagner hit the rainmaker shot from downtown in a recent game: "I've seen Moe shoot that Dirk Nowitzki shot 50 times in practice and it's the first time I've ever seen him make it in a game. If he keeps making it, I'll let him take it."
When Nowitzki heard that, he laughed and said, "That's great that he has the green light now! Moe should keep taking it, but also developing his inside game and all-around play. But when you are our size and can hit that shot, it opens up a lot of things for you.
"And, hey, that shot is the only reason I'm still in the league. I can still make threes."
Nowitzki, a 13-time All-Star and 12-time All-NBA team member, was the NBA MVP in 2007 and led Dallas to its one and only NBA championship in 2011. But he's averaging only 13.9 points this season, after scoring 21.8 over his career, and realizes his great run is winding down.
He's the only player in NBA history with at least 25,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, 1,000 blocks, 1,000 steals and 1,000 three-pointers.
Wagner, from Berlin, met Nowitzki, from Wurzburg, as a boy.
"It was six or seven years ago," said Wagner, "and I have a picture. It's a terrible picture and I'm so small compared to him."
Wagner got to meet him again after the Mavs lost to the Pistons on a night when Nowitzki scored a game-high 24 points (four-for-six on treys) with 10 rebounds.
"Dirk is such a great small-talk kind of guy -- which is awesome," said Wagner. "We just talked about some random things. He doesn't make you feel like he's someone special; it's just a normal conversation. You don't even realize who he is, so that's pretty cool.
"When I saw him before, I knew how he would be."
But at this meeting at the Palace of Auburn Hills, Wagner could look Nowitzki in the eye by gazing straight ahead rather than looking up at a man who must've seemed like a tower back then.
"That was crazy," said Wagner. "In that old picture, he was looking down at me. Looking at him eye-to-eye now was pretty cool. We got to talk about our season, their season, and we talked about shooting a little bit. We talked about his shooting coach, who is a cool guy as well."
Wagner stood outside the Mavs' locker room wearing his 'M' letterman's jacket, hands in pockets, smiling easily and often.
Nowitzki wore a long-sleeve, gray Dallas T-shirt, blue shorts and shower sandals, and enjoyed the conversation as much as the player who idolized him.
"It was nice talking with Moe," said Nowitzki. "He's a nice guy. We had some common ground, talking about some people we both know in basketball circles. I talked to him about his seasons, this year and last year, and how he's adjusted, and that he's playing more this year.
"He told me that he had a rough start, but that the team is going to get hot. I'm happy for him."
They spoke in German and that felt good for both of them. Though, Wagner said people often stop him on the streets of Ann Arbor, which has a strong German heritage, to "randomly" speak his native language.
Nowitzki said, "I'll make it a point to follow Michigan basketball from now on and check on Moe. There are not a lot of Germans in the league, and that means a lot to me that he's developing in college.
"I looked at 35 to 40 colleges and really liked Kentucky. I liked Stanford, too, but I don't know if I was smart enough for that place (laughter). But I decided to go straight to the NBA."
A Wolverine figured prominently in Nowitzki landing with the Mavs.
The Milwaukee Bucks selected Nowitzki ninth overall in the first round of the 1998 NBA Draft. Dallas had taken Michigan big man Robert "Tractor" Traylor sixth overall, and traded Traylor and Pat Garrity for Nowitzki on draft day. Traylor played seven seasons, averaging a modest 4.8 points and 3.7 rebounds, and died in 2011 of a heart attack while playing basketball for a team in Puerto Rico.
Nowitzki went on to become a legend.
"Going straight to the NBA wasn't easy," said Nowitzki, "but I also was going straight from Germany to the U.S. I lived with my parents, and they did everything for me, and now I had to learn the language and how to live in a new country as a boy.
"I know what Moe is going through. It's a real transition."
Wagner agreed, saying he's needed to adjust to life away from his parents, but he embraces the changes and is even becoming a team leader. He's averaging 12.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and is shooting .425 (34 for 80) on three-pointers after shooting .167 (two for 12) last season. His free throw shooting percentage has improved from .556 to .722.
Has he adjusted his shooting technique in any way?
"Not really," said Wagner. "Technically, I've been trying to get my shot off a little quicker, but that's about it. I worked with Coach Beilein a lot last summer and then it was just reps. At some point, it comes down to confidence and having the trust of your coaching staff and teammates. That helps me a lot.
"My problem offensively had always been decision making. So, I had a big focus on that, to take good shots and not bad shots, make the right play at the right time, and that plays a big role in higher percentages as well. It's not taking a lot of shots, it's taking good shots."
Wagner's improved play also is linked directly to his extra effort in the weight room. After games, Wagner usually can be found pumping iron alone, exhibiting his insatiable desire to become the strongest athlete possible.
"It's just me," said Wagner. "I love the sport a lot. That's my love. I think I owe that to myself. I have made it so far to the University of Michigan already. It's a great place to study, and I have made my mom, Beate (be-AH-ta), and dad, Axel, proud with that.
"But I've always been in gyms after games. I have a lot of fun working out, too. It's not like I'm doing something I don't like to do. Sometimes it is very painful when it's 12:30 (a.m.) after a loss to Xavier last year.
"But I have perspective. I have the dream of a goal that really helps motivate me regardless of what the weather is or what time it is. It hurts sometimes, most of the times, but that's how it's supposed to be. When you understand that, it's not hard to work out. If you're a man on a mission, it's easy. And every player on our team is on this mission."
Wolverines strength and conditioning coach Jon Sanderson is particularly proud of the effort and improvement Wagner has given him.
Wagner smiled when his taskmaster was mentioned.
"Sanderson is not nice in the weight room," said Wagner, "but that's how it's supposed to be in there."
When told of Wagner's work ethic and habits, Nowitzki smiled.
"That will take him far," said Nowitzki. "Tell him to keep working hard, listening to his coaches, and improving his whole game.
"I'll be watching for him."
The only NBA players to score more points than Nowitzki are leader Kareem-Abdul Jabbar (38,387) followed by Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain and Julius Erving (30,026).
That high-arcing trey, which he's made 1,747 times, has been his signature shot. When he's done casting it, Nowitzki said he's glad his fellow countryman will carry on its tradition.
Moe and Dirk can see eye-to-eye now, and shoot from the sky like nobody else.
